PM sets up national panel for rural sector

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today constituted a National Committee on Rural Infrastructure (NCRI) on the lines of National Committee on Infrastructure (NCI).

Chaired by Dr Singh, the NCRI would initiate policies to ensure time-bound provision of quality infrastructure in rural areas, including roads, power, irrigation, water supply, housing and telecommunications, an official press release said.

The NCRI would also identify innovative financing arrangements pooling Central, state and private funds for projects in these areas, the release added.

Deputy chairman, Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, would be the member-convenor of NCRI. Its members would include Union ministers of agriculture, rural development, water resources, communications and IT, Panchayati Raj, power, non-conventional energy sources and shipping, road transport and highways.

Planning Commission members in-charge of rural development, energy and water resources, agriculture and communications and IT would also be members of the committee.

The NCRI may invite experts in various fields to participate in discussions and guide the committee from time to time.

The NCI and NCRI would enable the Prime Minister to keep close track of progress in infrastructure development projects in urban and rural areas.

Dr Singh has repeatedly stressed on the importance of time-bound development of infrastructure as a pre-requisite for acceleration of economic growth, generation of new employment and modernisation.